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| There's red under here. Really. |
Limitations. Sometimes they are given to us. Sometimes we make them ourselves. As someone doing art journaling, nursing my limitations was not in my favor. I became aware of my color deficiency some years ago when taking my first course with Vivienne McMaster.
So when Kelly Kilmer challenged us to use up the paint on our palettes I became recalcitrant. "No, I will not use that red" I said. My painting partner also aired her dislike of red. I then took a moment to think about why I was taking a class instead of following my instincts and proceeded to use that red. (Yes, I agree. I should have thought before childishness refusing in the first place.) You know what? I liked what came out of it. If I hadn't used red then, I would have missed an opportunity for self growth.
A few weeks later during our Artist's Retreat, Cindi Huss playfully jibed me about my aversion to red. Later on her blog, my name and red were mentioned in the same sentence. I took that as a challenge. The gauntlet had been thrown down. My next page spread would heavily feature red.
Well, Cindi, here's some red for you.
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| See?! It was red. Really. Well, before I added the pink and purple. |
I still use pink and purple as my neutrals. What can I say? I can't get enough of them. Nevertheless, learning to add colors I don't normally use will stretch me and make me grow. So I'll be giving it a try.
P.S. I have learned so much from each of the teachers I mentioned above. If you have the opportunity to take a class with them, take it.
I could see the red--you rocked it! I especially love the shadowed circles. Your work is so rich and dimensional!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's funny you say it's rich and dimensional. I had to push myself to keep adding layers. I would love the way it looked so much that I had trouble continuing. A survey of some of the work I really love showed me that I am stopping too soon. So I kept going this time and I think the results paid off.
DeleteThanks for always being such an inspiration.
I think we all have palettes that hit our happy points. Mine has blues and greens. But I love the pinks and purples. It's hard, though, for me to go all red, brown, black, and even yellow, though it's one of my favorite colors. I think you did a magnificent job -- and most of all you are learning the most important part of class -- it's there to stretch you and develop, not just stay safe. Nice, Linda!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jeanie! Yes, stretching is not always easy to embrace even when you sign yourself up to learn something. It's so important to do it though. In the class I took there was a woman who painted black on top of most of the color in each collage. I was shocked by this, but it was stunning. It would never have occurred to me to try that. It's one thing to see a finished piece and quite another to see it happening right next to you. It was brilliant and opened my eyes to possibilities I have not yet explored.
DeleteLove those pinks!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks! So do I. Just can't get enough of them.
DeleteI really enjoyed this post, because it shows having limitations in art makes you a better artist when you push past these limits. I don't have a favorite color, so I use them all. Some days I work with vintage colors and textures, some days with pastels, and other days with bold, bright colors. I find mixing them up keeps my mind active, and I'm sure you have learned that, too, especially after reading your previous post on art journaling.
ReplyDeleteI really, really enjoy your posts and your art journal pages. It's probably a good thing (for me) that I'm not on Pinterest, or I would spend even MORE time on the computer than I do now (grin).
Thanks for the great feedback. It is heartening to know that you enjoyed my post.
DeleteI still have strong color preferences, but I am trying to stretch myself to see how I might grow and what I might achieve if I did things differently. I also enjoy learning by watching others (including Pinterest). It spurs me on to try more. Pinterest is a dangerous playmate that swallows large swaths of time. Despite that, I have learned a great deal from it. I can see why it might be best avoided, but it's too late for me now.....:-)